


Mr. Handsome

by tinafu



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merit-Based Society, Humour, M/M, a lighthearted read, a lot of flirting, literally just me venting how attractive i find jongdae, romance kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 07:40:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12008148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinafu/pseuds/tinafu
Summary: Junmyeon didn't think it was possible to fall for someone in such a short time span but Jongdae was just so damn gorgeous. Additionally, Junmyeon doesn't know why Jongdae's chest keep glowing that awful shade of red when the only crime he's committed was being too handsome to bear.





	Mr. Handsome

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT #250:  
> They live in a merit-based society, where all 'good deeds' are rewarded in points. Junmyeon, already at 40,000,000 points, wonders why Jongdae, a hard-working, upstanding member of society, has been stuck at 600 points.

Di Valore. The nation whereby the merit system was first adopted; 1736, July 3rd, 6 months after the 9 Years War. The parliament house of Di Valore during this time had collectively agreed that the world’s development in adapting into the modern world would accelerate if a merit system were to be posed. Having said this, the government was aware of the amount of time and money it would cost open up an international system in order to uphold this new system. 

It took 5 years for the system to be globally accepted. 3 years to perfect the merit chip; a microscopic card that would be inserted into the chest of every citizen. The chip would then sense when an act of kindness has been done and points will be sent to the main panel, additionally, points are loss when wrongful actions are done. Rankings and privileges were also applied. At the end of the year, the top merits of each nation would be gathered and sent to Di Valore, where they undergo a practical exam in order to determine if they are worthy of being an elite.

Skipping forward a few hundred years and Di Valore is now the world’s power nation; with a total of 84 elite merits nationwide, the merit system has evidently succeeded in its original purpose and the term ‘war’ remains foreign and unknown to the younger generations.

— 

Junmyeon sighs, “What’s happened now?”

“My profile glitched and now my rank won’t move.” Complains Baekhyun. The male slides his palms down his face, dragging down the skin of his temples as he lets out a rugged groan. Junmyun frowns from behind his cup of black tea and shoots his friend a look of disapproval.

“Is that why you’ve been nonchalantly swearing at everybody today? I knew something was up when you refused to help Chanyeol sort out his kitchen cabinets.” At the statement, Baekhyun smiles wearily as he ruffles his strawberry pink locks into a tangled mess, an implication that yes, that was a reason. Junmyeon sighs and puts down his mug as he glances at his coffee machine, his lips purse as he inspects what is left of it after Baekhyun entered his house. The object is whirring sharply, a sound foreign to Junmyeon’s ears, and a strange, translucent yellow liquid leaks from its nozzles. 

“I guess that’s why you broke my coffee machine too right?” 

Baekhyun’s response is a cheeky smile, his cheeks raised up high and his lips stretched thin. Junmyeon can’t bring himself to be upset with his pink haired friend, that damn smile displayed the definition of sunshine more than the word itself. 

Junmyun lets out a small chuckle and glances outside the window wall beside them. The sky’s clear of clouds and the sun is exceptionally bright. 

“The weather is great today.” The brunette smiles, to which Baekhyun replies with a snarky, ‘The weather is always like this in Di Valore, genius.’ which fishes a scoff from Junmyeon’s lips. 

“Wanna take a walk? Your house is so dull I’m starting to fall asleep. I also need some coffee, your coffee machine isn’t doing anything. Literally.” Junmyeon frowns at the first statement. Baekhyun had a point, his house was a little on the dull side. The walls were bare, rectangular markings of where painting and pictures had previously hung were the only things present on the white surfaces. Junmyeon likes it like this though, he pictures his house with vibrant shades of purple, red, blue, yellow and it all seemed to so fake. The image was foreign, distasteful even; It wasn’t Junmyeon.

“I didn’t mean it.” The male sees Baekhyun reassuring grin from his peripheral view. “When I said your house was dull. I see you arguing with yourself over there old man, I like your house like this too.” 

Junmyeon smiles back gratefully, he wasn’t really offended by Baekhyun’s comment, it just made him realise a few things about himself. “It’s fine.” The brunette replies, ruffling his friend’s soft locks. Baekhyun whines playfully and slaps away Junmyeon’s hand before losing himself in a recount of his day. 

Junmyeon listens intently as Baekhyun chatters on about how his profile’s been glitched thrice now and that he suspects someone’s out to get him transferred— that is, until his gaze catches an unfamiliar figure standing at the playground nearby. 

He’s gorgeous. Junmyeon doesn’t know who he is but god damn was he beautiful. The stranger isn’t doing much, he’s leaning against the yellow spiral slide, monitoring the kids in the sandpit with a gentle smile playing along his lips. Junmyeon feels a wave of warmth overcome his chest and his eyes soften as he watches the stranger high five a pair of kids running by. 

Baekhyun halts his speech, noticing Junmyeon’s lack of response and follows his gaze. “What is it?” He asks. 

“Who is that?”  
The pink haired male leans his head a little to look around Junmyeon, “Oh, that’s Yerim. Seulgi’s second daughter. You haven’t met her yet, have you?” 

Junmyeon shakes his head, eyes fixated on the unfamiliar man, “No, not Ye—“ 

“Look! There’s Chanyeol’s cafe, let’s go in and say hi to him and Kyungie. They make some bomb ass coffee here too, you have to try it.” 

Junmyeon turns briefly to look at where Baekhyun is pointing at and then glances back at the playground, eyebrows arched and a lost expression washing over his features. Before he could excuse himself to go over to the playground, he feels Baekhyun’s fingers wrap around his wrist, hastily pulling him along the pedestrian crossing before the light turns red.

The brunette alarmingly glances between his friend and the playground, not wanting to lose sight of the stranger but as he looks back at the slide a third time, the man is nowhere to be found. Junmyeon exhales through his nostrils in disappointment and he purses his lips, who knows when he’ll see the stranger again.

The two friends walk into the cafè and a melodic jingle rings through the building as Baekhyun shamelessly announces their arrival with a loud shout. Junmyeon’s face flushes an blushed pink in embarrassment, silently wishing for Baekhyun to lower his voice. 

“Good evening Junmyeon!” A baritone voice chirps, “Hello again… Baekhyun.”  
Junmyeon’s eyes glance back to the playground across the road and his head throbs in confusion, he forgets to reply back to the greeting and shivers as he feels the surface of his skin tingle, a sign that he’s lost a merit point. 

“Good day, Chanyeollie!” Baekhyun beams, his lips stretch into a wide open mouthed smile at Chanyeol as the taller glares down at him. 

“I haven’t forgotten about you leaving me in the kitchen alone to clean out the cabinets by myself, you can’t smile your way out of this one Byun.” Chanyeol says, he points a finger at the smaller before leaning over the counter to flick his friend’s nose.

Baekhyun lets out a yelp and whines as Chanyeol tauntingly sticks his tongue out but his eyes hold a playful glint as he huffs, “You are on a shift Mr Pork Channel, your treatment of customers is appauling, I’m gonna have to rate this cafe a 1/5 on Celp.” 

Channel raises an eyebrow, “Pork Channel?”

“So,” Baekhyun sings, “we’d like a very vanilla chiller and a caramel swirled chocolate frappuccino with extra caramel syrup please! On the house for abusing a loyal customer?”

Chanyeol clicks his tongue at his cheery friend but a smile unknowingly makes its way onto his lips as he types their order onto the screen before him, “On the house for abusing a customer.” He repeats. he shakes his head in playful disbelief as he writes down Baekhyun’s name onto the cafe’s branded cups.

“Very vanilla chiller for Junmyeon and a caramel swirled chocolate frappuccino for Baekhyun.” Baekhyun beams but his expression quickly drops into a glare as he spots the barista writing ‘Burnt Baguette’ on his cup. 

“How creative,” The pink haired male muses, “could you call Kyungsoo out for us too? Thanks, you’re the best Chanchan.” Baekhyun grins. 

Junmyeon’s gaze shifts back to his pink haired friend, “Sorry did you say something?” Baekhyun looks at him, eyes wide in confusion and lips shaped into an ‘o’. 

The brunette shakes his head and softly sighs, who was that man? The image of the unfamiliar figure has yet to leave his mind and Junmyeon doubts it’ll be leaving any time soon. 

“I ordered your very boring vanilla frappuccino thingy for you. What’s up by the way? You’ve been acting strange the moment we saw baby Yerim. Is it because Seulgi wasn’t with her? I found that strange too, she shouldn’t be out alone like that, even if she was with her friends.”

The two sit down at a table near the counter where they had a clear view of Chanyeol’s work area. 

“No,” Joonmyun hums, “I just… Is there a new person in Di Valore that I don’t know of? Like for example, someone who’s just transferred here?” 

Baekhyun nibbles on the tip of his thumb in thought, “No, I don’t think so. Not that I keep track of these things anyway.” He laughs as he rests his head in his palm and looks at the older male, “Why do you ask?”

Junmyeon takes a napkin from the pink dispenser in the middle of the table and begins folding it, feeling a need to fiddle with an object as he thinks back to the stranger in the playground, “I saw a new face at the playground earlier. He was so— Baek, Jesus, he was damn gorgeous.” The brunette says, his voice soft and cheeks blushed a light red. 

“You could always ask Kyungsoo you know. He’s an elite, he might know of this unknown beautiful man you speak of.” Junmyeon nods as Baekhyun’s eyes follow the movement of his fingers. Although having been folded into multiple unrecognisable shapes, the sheet is clean of wrinkles. 

“I heard my name.” A deep voice chimes in. Baekhyun and Junmyeon look up to the right side of their table and they immediately smile at the new presence. 

“Kyungie!” Baekhyun greets, he flashes a toothy grin at his friend and Junmyeon laughs. Kyungsoo playfully tugs on the pink haired male’s nose as a bright smile graces his features. The male has on a maroon apron on top of a plain white dress shirt tucked into dark slacks and his black hair is swept to the side. 

Kyungsoo chuckles, “Your drinks will be out in a sec, Do you want anything to eat in the meantime? Tart? Muffin? Our new coffee cream cake perhaps? You seemed to really like my test samples Junmyeon.” 

“I do have something I want to eat actually,” Baekhyun says, a greasy smirk graces his lips as he leans forward to rest his chin on the back of his hand, “are you on the menu, sweetcheeks?”

Junmyeon laughs from his seat and sends a swift kick to his friend’s shin as Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Nice try Byun, but not today I’m not.” He muses, pushing Baekhyun’s forehead with his finger, “but maybe in the near future. If you’re able to keep up with me that is.” Kyungsoo gives the other male’s ear a playful tug and Baekhyun yelps out a ‘babe!’

“Junmyeon? Is there anything you’d like?” The black haired male asks, turning to face his friend. 

“There is one thing I want to ask of you, though it isn’t food.” 

“Shoot.”

“Has there been any new additions to the system? A new member?” Kyungsoo tilts his head in thought for a second.

“There is a new guy in town, I had to give him a tour earlier this month. His name’s Kim Jongdae. He’s kinda around your height, has a face that looks like it belongs in an art exhibit and has a killer smile. I think he’s the only new guy we have this time around, why do you ask?”

“Junmyeon has a little high school crush on new guy.” Baekhyun sings, earning a sharp kick to the knee beneath the table. He squawks in pain and rubs at his knee as Junmyeon shoots him a glare. 

“I can see it though, why you’d like him. He’s damn gorgeous. Also, he’s only been here for about a month and already has 600 merit points, can you believe that? What a saint. Way too pure for me though, if you know what I mean.” Kyungsoo laughs. The doorbell jingles, signalling new customers and the black haired male sighs, “Alright, I’m gonna have to go now. Yixing will be here with your orders real soon.” 

Junmyeon waves goodbye as Baekhyun whines. Their friend chuckles, “don’t cause too much trouble Baekhyun,” He says, “I’ve been told about you driving through red lights and ignoring people’s requests when they’re in need of help. Your profile’s been stuffed up hasn’t it?” 

Baekhyun smiles wearily at being caught and Kyungsoo clicks his tongue, “I’ll be fixing it shortly, don’t think I’m gonna let you off because we’re friends, Byun.” 

The three males chuckle as Kyungsoo salutes them, making his way back behind the counter to take the order of the customers who had just arrived. The moment Kyungsoo is out of ear shot, Baekhyun curses. 

“Ah man, you snitched didn’t you Junmyeon. I trusted you! We’re buddies! Pals! Maybe potential boyfriends even! I thought we had something special when you let me take a bath with you that one time.” The male chokes out exaggerated sobs and the brunette laughs. 

“No, I didn’t snitch, you idiot. How are you forgetting that there are patrol drones in literally every crevice of the city, you were bound to get caught by an elite soon,” Junmyeon says, “also, I didn’t let you. You forced yourself into the bathroom while I was still taking a bath.”

“Ok but you weren’t bothered by the fact that we were naked in a bathtub together.” Baekhyun chimes, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend suggestively. Junmyeon sighs and Baekhyun chortles as he points finger guns at his friend.

“A Very Vanilla Chiller and a Caramel Swirled Chocolate Frappuccino, extra shot of caramel for Baekhyun and Junmyeon?” A voice interrupts. 

The two men look up at Yixing and Junmyeon nods, “That’s us, thanks.”

The two drinks are placed before them as the cafe’s doorbell rings again. Junmyeon takes a sip of his drink, savouring in the sweet, vanilla taste that quickly spreads over his tongue and his eyes crinkle into sweet crescents.

“Jongdae!” He hears Kyungsoo call from the counter, followed by a muffled repeat of the name from the kitchen, courtesy of Chanyeol. 

Junmyeon glances up at this ‘Jongdae’ and swears the merit chip inside of his chest begins to go into overdrive as his heart beat quickens. It’s the strange man from the playground! His eyes widen and Baekhyun’s voice turns into nothing but static as his fixes all of his attention on the beautiful man standing at the front counter.

“That’s him!” Junmyeon whispers, his gaze follows Jongdae as he bends down to talk to the children he had walked in with. Baekhyun cocks an eyebrow and looks over to where Junmyeon is staring, his lips form the shape of an ‘o’ in curiosity. 

“Who?” The pink haired male asks dumbly.

“The guy! Kim Jongdae, the guy from the playground earlier!”

Jongdae has on a mustard yellow t-shirt tucked into tight fitting jeans. His blonde locks are ruffled, creating a messy but charming look and round specs balance on the tip of his nose as he laughs with the 3 kids around him. 

“I’ve seen him before…” Baekhyun mutters, his eyes narrow as he tries to recount why those eyes seem so familiar. 

“Yeah, he was at the playground earlier.”

“No, no,” Baekhyun shakes his head and he thumbs at his bottom lip, “Like, I think I’ve seen him at the Central Port with Heechul.” 

Junmyeon sputters, “W-what? With the Kim Heechul? Heechul, the elite of all elites? Are you being serious? Why would Heechul leave the Above for any reason that isn’t death defying?”

His friend offers a shrug in response and says nothing else. Instead, he focuses his gaze back onto his friend and leans forward on his elbows, smirking. “Well? Go talk to him if you think he’s so smoking hot.” Baekhyun teases.

Junmyeon almost knocks over his frappuccino as his arms flail to hit Baekhyun. Flustered, he stammers a loud, ‘Shut up! You’re so loud!’.

Unfortunately for the brunette, this garners the attention of the other customers. Including a certain man by the counter. Junmyeon quickly bows his head in apology to the people looking towards their table and receives a couple of laughs and coos of how ‘adorable’ he is in return. 

Junmyeon lowers his head in embarrassment and Baekhyun lets out a cheeky laugh as he nods his head in the direction of Jongdae. The male is bending down, listening intently as the little girl by his side points at the coloured cakes on display in the glass casings atop the counter.

Junmyeon's heart pace picks up as his eyes meet directly with the male’s, he blushes and makes a quick move to make it seem like he's looking around the cafe. 

He faintly hears Jongdae chuckling and his cheeks flush an even brighter red as he bites onto the straw of his drink, ignoring Baekhyun's teasing stare. Junmyeon chews on the plastic between his teeth and sneaks a quick glance at Jongdae again, (he won’t admit it out loud but there’s really no reason to look at the beautiful man again except to admire the way his cheekbones compliment the crinkle of his eyes when he laughs).

However Junmyeon’s eyebrows furrow in confusion when Jongdae’s chest emits a red glow as he pays for the cakes chosen by his little friends. The male visibly shivers as he reaches a hand back to scratch his neck and Junmyeon is really freaking confused. A red glow means that the person is losing merit points at a quick rate, but Jongdae didn’t do anything wrong at all.

“Did you just see that?” He asks, grabbing onto Baekhyun’s arm with haste. 

“Yeah, what the fuck? He didn’t do anything wrong.” Is his friend’s response. The two stare at Jongdae as he guides the children over to a table in the corner of the cafe, the red glow around his chest lingers for 4 more seconds before disappearing. Junmyeon accidentally chews a hole into his straw as he continues to stare at the man but pays it no attention.

“It lasted like 7 seconds, that’s not good at all, is it?” Baekhyun gasps, “3 seconds alone is already 85 points gone. Maybe there’s something wrong with the system?”

Before he could come back to his senses and stop himself from doing anything dumb, Junmyeon stands up from his seat and makes his way over to Jongdae as Baekhyun squawks a ‘what the hell are you doing?’.

“Um, excuse me,” Junmyeon says as he stands at Jongdae’s table, “Sorry to interrupt but could I ask for your Merit Identification Code?”

The children sitting around Jongdae pause their rowdy discussion about which cake will taste the best and stare at Junmyeon with curious eyes. Jongdae quirks an eyebrow and tilts his head in confusion, “Me?” He asks as a cunning smirk graces his lips, “I mean we’ve only just met, don’t you need to take me on a date or two first?”

Junmyeon’s eyes widen and he feels his face heat up immediately, “N-no!” He quickly realises that the other male could take his answer the wrong way and quickly splutters another reply, “I mean— no, not like that— You are a very attractive man and I’d be more than honoured to have you in my be— Ah! No! Wait, I mean, what I’m trying to say is—“ 

Jongdae cackles and takes Junmyeon’s hand into his own before beaming a wide grin, “I was just kidding. Partially.” He laughs and Junmyeon’s heartbeat quickens as he tugs his hand back and shies away from Jongdae’s smile. 

“Why don’t you sit with us? We ordered cake.” 

Junmyeon bites his lip and glances back at Baekhyun. His friend violently flicks his wrists, signalling Junmyeon to sit down at Jongdae’s table, and shamelessly whoops and whistles before getting hit in the back of his head by Kyungsoo. 

“So,” Junmyeon begins, he takes a seat across from Jongdae and laces his fingers together in his lap, suddenly shy from the amount of small eyes staring him down. “You’re new here, right? I’m friends with Kyungsoo, the guy who showed you around earlier this month. He had a lot to say about you — In a good way, of course.”

Junmyeon’s chest flutters and his body emits a faint green glow as he gains 40 merit points. He flashes a charming smile at the little girl sitting beside his new friend when he catches her staring and almost coos out loud when she flushes a bright pink.

Jongdae sees this and smiles fondly, “Yeah, I just transferred from Magindapat,” He pats the little girl’s head and laughs when she gives him a wide smile, pearly whites peeking through her thin rosy lips. “I was originally meant to go to Jasa but they’re currently quarantined due to a system parasite.” 

“Ah yes, I’ve heard about that,” Junmyeon sighs, his gaze meets with Jongdae’s for a second before quickly looking down at his lap — unable to maintain eye contact without having his heart explode, “It’s rumoured that a highly respected elite was the one who planted the parasite, but you didn’t hear this from me.”

Jongdae laughs before snapping his fingers, “Ah,” He says, “Why are you asking for my Merit Identification Code?” Junmyeon flushes at the question, suddenly aware of how dumb he had acted without thinking and is about to answer but Kyungsoo’s voice interrupts.

“Here you are, Jongdae and co. One Fragola Dal Giardino, two Chocolate Chocokids and a Miele Di Gioia Yogurt.” The baker says as he sets down the listed desserts. Kyungsoo’s expression looks confused as he spots Junmyeon sitting across from Jongdae but he doesn’t say anything. 

Junmyeon sheepishly waves at the raven haired baker before busying himself with taking the desserts off of the tray. 

“We didn’t order a Miele Di Gioia Yogurt.” Jongdae picks up the cup of yogurt and is about to place it back onto the tray but is stopped by Kyungsoo. The baker places a hand on his friend’s arm and smiles gently at him.

“It’s on the house, Jongdae. I’m always more than happy to share my new recipes with you.” 

Kyungsoo’s chest glows as he beams at the blonde. Jongdae sets the cup back down onto the table and shoots him a grateful look, “Thank you.” He says.

“All I ask in return is for you to take better care of yourself.”

“Mr. Junmyeon the strawberry is too big!” The girl beside Jongdae whines as Kyungsoo walks back to accompany Baekhyun (who’s been very discreet about sending Junmyeon signs to make a move on Jongdae. Very discreet).

Junmyeon leans forward to cut the strawberry in half with his own spoon but is stopped by Jongdae’s hand on his arm. The latter smiles at him and turns to face the girl, “Now Doyeon, Mr. Junmyeon won’t cut your strawberry for you if you don’t ask him nicely.” 

Doyeon beams cheerfully at the reminder, “Could you please cut my strawberry so that I can eat it please, Mr. Junmyeon?” She giggles. Jongdae chuckles and coos at his little friend before combing his fingers through her hair as Junmyeon gazes at the two with fond eyes. 

“Sure thing, sweetheart.” Junmyeon laughs, a light feeling flutters around his heart as he reaches over to slice the strawberries into small bit sized pieces for Doyeon and his smile widens as he spots her chest glowing a light green in his peripheral view. Jongdae leans his head into his palm as he watches the two, he didn’t think it was possible to fall for someone so quickly but Junmyeon was just so charming. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you look like a prince from a fairytale?”

Junmyeon sputters, caught off guard by the sudden compliment and his ears heat up, “N-no, not really, but thank you— I guess.”

“You’re really cute, you know that?” Jongdae muses, his lips curl up into a sweet grin as he watches Junmyeon’s expression change rapidly. The latter flushes a bright red and ignore the compliment as he busies himself with staring at the two boys sitting to his right. 

“You two sure are quiet all of a sudden.” Jongdae chuckles, he reaches over to pinch one of the boy’s cheeks, receiving a whine in response. Junmyeon laughs and watches as the two busy themselves with poking at their chocolate dessert with their spoons. 

“Mr. Junmyeon really does look like a prince…” One of them mutters. This catches Junmyeon by surprise and a velvet red blossoms his cheeks and ears as he offers a sheepish laugh, not knowing how else to reply. 

“He does, doesn’t he? I’m glad that I’m not the only one who thinks so.” Jongdae chuckles, his eyes meet with Junmyeon’s for the nth time that day and the two maintain eye contact as he continues, “I wonder if he’s found his princess yet.” 

Doyeon places down her fork and gives the male beside her a smug grin, “Of course he has, big brother!” She picks up her fork again and eats a bit of her cake before continuing, “You’re looking right at her.”

Jongdae scoffs and playfully pinches the little girl’s cheek as Junmyeon laughs.

“So tell me, Junmyeon.” Jongdae muses, he leans his cheek onto his palm and stares at the other with an amused gaze, “Were you asking for my Merit Identification Code because you’re interested in me or have I been reading the lines wrong?” 

“Please don’t flatter yourself, we’ve only just met.” Junmyeon mumbles, extremely embarrassed about how thoughtless he had been earlier. 

“You must’ve seen me lose merit points earlier then, right?” The brunette shyly nods and Jongdae sighs, “There’s nothing much to say to be honest, I committed an act that will result in consequences.” The blonde shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t look bothered at all by the fact that his merit rank had decreased. Although finding this reaction strange, Junmyeon doesn’t comment on it and instead decides to change the topic. 

“So, you have 3 younger siblings? It must be a busy life.” He says. 

Jongdae smiles fondly as he gazes between the 3 children sat at the table and Junmyeon’s heart flutters for a reason that wasn’t his merit chip. “It’s just Doyeon. Sungyeol and Sungmin, these two little guys, overheard us planning to have a cake date and wanted to tag along because they’re spoiled little brats, aren’t you guys?” The blonde crinkles his nose as he reaches over to pinch the cheeks of the boys sitting on the other side of the table.

Sungmin gives Jongdae a toothy grin, chocolate smeared around the corners of his mouth and Sungyeol giggles, “We’re sorry big brother but we can’t miss out chocolate fudge cake! Mommy never lets us eat chocolate more than once a week.” 

His brother nods, “Yeah! But mommy told us that you can’t waste tokens on buying chocolate for us because you’re working hard everyday and can’t afford it so we’re sorry big brother.” Junmyeon raises an eyebrow, can’t afford it?

Jongdae’s smile falters for barely a second before his expression brightens again as he puffs air out of his mouth, “Token, schmoken. Don’t listen to your mum, I’m always happy to be your chocolate fairy.” He sings. The boys cheer and rowdily dig into their chocolate desserts as Doyeon clicks her tongue at the mess created around their bowls. 

“So if they’re not your brothers, how do you know them?” Junmyeon asks, Jongdae gets more interesting by the minute and suddenly, the brunette’s rapid heartbeat is no longer a problem as he doesn’t bother to hide the way his eyes admire every crevice and feature of Jongdae’s face.

“We live in the same condominium and their mum makes the best brownies in the world.” The blonde chuckles, “Doyeon and I live on our own so it gets tough sometimes, you know? I can barely cook a whole meal without burning something I thought couldn’t be burned and I’m not letting Doyeon anywhere near the stove on her own. So Sungyeol and Sungmin’s mum takes care of us in terms of food.” 

Junmyeon frowns, “You two live in a condo unit by yourselves? Where are your parents?” 

“Ah well, we don’t exactly know.” The atmosphere grows tense but Jongdae makes an effort to lighten up their conversation with a laugh, “It’s their loss anyway, Doyeon is gonna grow up to be an absolute beauty just like her brother and they’re gonna miss out.” 

Junmyeon offers a small chuckle in response but his heart clenches. The thought of Jongdae and small little Doyeon growing up without any parents was definitely worrisome. 

“So what about you? Asking all these questions about my life but I don’t know anything but you yet.” Jongdae says, he briefly faces Doyeon when she hops off the chair to ask where she’s going.

“We’ve finished our cakes! We’re just gonna be at the playground again with Yerim.”

The blonde nods before playfully leaving a sloppy kiss on his little sister’s cheek, “You can sleep over at Yerim’s tonight, I’m gonna be working again okay? Have fun.” Sungyeol and Sungmin hop off their seats and the three children turn to Junmyeon.

“Bye-bye Mr. Junmyeon!” They bid in chorus before exiting the cafe. Jongdae stares at the three with a fond gaze and Junmyeon wonders if it was possible to fall in love with someone over and over again in the span of half an hour. 

“I’m an only child.” The brunette begins, Jongdae faces him again and smiles. “I currently live on my own but it never really feels like it because my best friend, Baekhyun, is always bugging me in my free time. That’s pretty much all there is to me really, I’m quite a boring person.” Junmyeon laughs sheepishly and looks at the blonde. The other is smiling gently and the two maintain eye contact for a short while before Junmyeon looks away, a faint blush blooming along his cheeks. 

“I’m sure there’s a lot more, you’re probably just being modest.” Jongdae chuckles, “Maybe a little something about your image? I heard from Kyungsoo that you refuse to become an elite so your merit points are stacked up like crazy. 40,000,000 points, was it?” 

“Yes well, I don’t believe becoming an elite is worth anything really. Everyone is stuck in this little bubble, thinking that the world is perfect and beyond ideal because of the merit system but are we really all equal? Becoming an elite would place me on a higher pedestal and people would start treating me differently because I’d have the authority to modify their profile. The thought alone is quite disturbing.” Junmyeon replies, a sigh escapes from his lips and Jongdae nods in understanding.

“That makes a lot of sense. I’ve always thought that as well; the world right now isn’t as perfect as everyone makes it out to be.” The blonde muses, “But everyone is enjoying themselves, aren’t they? So I don’t dwell on these thoughts for too long; it’s risky. Everyone’s happy and we’ve created a safe world for future generations, development is important.” 

Junmyeon smiles at the other and nods his head, happy to find someone who is understanding of his thoughts. 

“Is that all I’m getting? I was expecting some kind of adventurous life. Like you go bungee jumping twice a week and eat cherry pies for a living or something.” Jongdae jokes, his laugh is boisterous but strangely melodious as Junmyeon can’t help but to also laugh. 

“I told you that I’m boring. It’s your own fault that you didn’t listen.” The brunette sticks his tongue out to taunt the other. Jongdae grins widely before glancing over at the cafe’s clock.

“I should get back now, work is always demanding on Tuesdays and the bus ride home is relatively long.” Jongdae after a minute of comfortable silence. The two stand up and the blonde leans over to whisper into the other male’s ear, “It was great meeting you today, prince Junmyeon.” 

Jongdae cackles before pointing finger guns at Junmyeon as he exits the cafe, aware of the effect he has on the brunette. Junmyeon gapes as he stares at the blonde’s back, unsure of how to react and places a hand over his chest, trying to slow down to rapid pace of his heart. He absently stands by the table before snapping out of it and turning towards Baekhyun. The pink haired male has his arms crossed over his chest and his lips curled up into a knowing smirk and Junmyeon sighs, aware that he’s about to get the interrogation of his life. 

——

“But that was 3 weeks ago. Have you two been in contact?” Kyungsoo asks, he glances down from the top of his ladder and passes 3 oranges to Junmyeon. The brunette shakes his head and sighs as he places the fruits into the basket at his feet.

“We didn’t exchange phone numbers nor did I ever find out his Merit Identification Code.” He says.

The shorter male cocks an eyebrow, “His MIC? Why would you need to know that?” 

“I needed to see his ranking and stats. Something really weird happened that day, Soo.” Junmyeon thinks back to the day at the cafe and hastily grips onto the ladder when he briefly sees it wobble a bit, “He lost points for buying cakes.”

Kyungsoo clicks his tongue as he tugs an orange from it’s branch and hums, “Yeah, I remember. I didn’t think much of it though because maybe his profile coding was a little muddy. He was only just recently transferred after all.” Kyungsoo is passing the fruit to his friend when something in his peripheral view catches his attention.

“Speak of the devil.” He mutters. Junmyeon look up at him before turning to where the black haired male was staring. It was Jongdae.

“He’s in quite a rush.” Kyungsoo comments. The blonde across the street was speeding down the side walk, narrowly dodging other pedestrians and his expression is mixed between concerned and neutral. The two males continue to stare at Jongdae and a quiet gasp escapes from Junmyeon’s lips when the blonde collides with a teenage girl, causing her to drop her books and bags.

Jongdae’s lips are moving quickly as he bends down to pick up her things, forming what Junmyeon presumes to be apology after apology for possibly injuring the teenager. The blonde’s chest is glowing a bright red nonstop and Junmyeon taps Kyungsoo’s ankle.

“Do you see that? His chest; he’s losing merit points.” The brunette exclaims, “Surely his chip would be fixed by now right? Could you check how many points he’s on?” 

The raven haired baker fishes out his profile scanner from the large pocket of his overalls and types in Jongdae’s name.

An image of the blonde comes up on a hologram along with his personal details and a graph. Below the picture, Jongdae’s recorded merit points is decreasing from 635 to 582 and Kyungsoo furrows his eyebrows., “Maybe he’s cursing her? Although that is very unlikely.”

The two continue to watch as Jongdae gives the girl her books with his head lowered and the girl smiles reassuringly before separating. The blonde male’s body is still glowing, now a darker shade of red, as he slaps his hand over his chest and massages it to lessen the pain. 

“Poor thing, it must be suffocating to lose that many points at once.” Kyungsoo whispers as he pockets his scanner before turning back around to continue picking from the tree. Junmyeon continues to stare as Jongdae rushes off and turns a corner, disappearing from sight and his eyebrows furrow in concern. 

“Don’t you think you should do something about that? There’s no reason that justifies why he just lost so many merit points.” He turns to face his friend and grabs the oranges from the outstretched hands to place into the basket. 

“I can’t do anything if my scanner says that there his profile has been coded perfectly and that there are no detected faults in the system. I’m sorry Junmyeon, I would if I could, honestly.” 

Junmyeon bites his lips as Kyungsoo steps down from the ladder, “This is enough for the next few weeks, I reckon.” The baker says as he puts two more oranges into the basket before heaving it up in his arms. The two exit the garden through the large entrance gate and make their way back to Junmyeon’s house. As they pace down the street, Kyungsoo doesn’t fail to notice Junmyeon’s sudden silence and glances at his friend as his adjusts the basket of oranges in his arms.

“Don’t overthink it. Remember, merit points is just a number, don’t let it get to you. Maybe book an appointment with Heechul if you want to look into Jongdae’s profile codes.”

Junmyeon shakes his head, “No, it’s alright. I’m just confused is all.” The pair arrive at Junmyeon’s house and the brunette punches in the code for his front door before entering. Kyungsoo follows after and shuts the door behind him with his foot before running to the kitchen to place the basket onto the island counter. 

“Jesus— The walk wasn’t even that long but it managed to make up for all of the days I didn’t go to the gym.” Kyungsoo whines, swinging his arms around to rid himself of the soreness. Junmyeon laughs as he turns on the sink to wash the oranges and a childish grin makes its way onto his face as he flicks water at his friend who yelps in response.

“Thanks for letting me use your kitchen Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo smiles as he walks to stand beside Junmyeon at the sink, “Baekhyun, being the useless burnt croissant that he is, broke my oven so I can’t create new recipes at home at the moment.” 

“Of course he broke your oven. Why did you let him into your kitchen in the first place?” Junmyeon muses as he shakes his head. Kyungsoo is about to make a snarky response but is interrupted by the doorbell. 

“Are you expecting someone?” The baker asks, and Junmyeon shakes his head, eyes glazed with confusion as he wipes his hands dry before making his way to the door.

The brunette opens it and is surprised to see Jongdae standing there. He doesn’t believe it at first so instead of greeting the blonde, Junmyeon blinks and reaches a hand forward to touch the other male. 

“Okay um, hear me out— I’m not a creepy stalker, I swear. Can I come in first though?” Jongdae asks, this is the first time he’s been so sheepish about Junmyeon and it’s so adorable the brunette doesn’t have it in him to say anything other than ‘of course’.

Kyungsoo turns his head around to look at the new guest and eyes widen in surprise, “Oh, Jongdae! Hello there.” He greets.

“Hey Kyungsoo. Am I interrupting something?” 

The baker laughs, “Oh no, I’m just here because I’m not able to use my own kitchen right now. Please don’t get the wrong idea I wouldn't date Junmyeon even if he was the last person on earth.” 

Jongdae and Kyungsoo share a laugh as Junmyeon gapes at his friend, insulted at the implication that he’s undesirable. 

“That’s perfect. Then I can have him all to myself.” Jongdae winks at the brunette as he takes a seat on the grey leather couch in the living room across from the kitchen. Kyungsoo chuckles as Junmyeon stutters between his words, unable to think of an appropriate reaction as he is not yet used to Jongdae’s flirting. 

Junmyeon seats himself on the loveseat beside the sofa and faces Jongdae, “How did you find out where I live?” He asks.

Jongdae rubs the back of his neck nervously and gives a sheepish chuckle, “I kinda asked around. I hope you don’t mind— I have no ill intentions! I just wanted to talk and possibly get to know you more.” 

“I see.”

The two are silent, Jongdae smiling gently at Junmyeon while Junmyeon’s head is lowered as he fiddles with his fingers. The brunette then looks up, suddenly remembering a question he’s wanted to ask the other for a while. 

“I— Do you maybe want to exchange numbers?” Junmyeon stutters. He makes eye contact with the blonde male and quickly averts his gaze, a faint blush painting his cheeks as his face warms up.

“Yes please, God, I’ve been waiting for this moment for forever.” Jongdae exclaims before passing Junmyeon his phone. The brunette types in his number and returns the device, head still lowered as he’s afraid making eye contact with Jongdae would cause his entire body to overheat.

The kitchen sink turns off, signalling that Kyungsoo has finished washing the oranges and the opening of drawers is heard before a voice calls out.

“God damn, you two are making me sick. Just go out already.” The raven haired male yells. 

“S-Shut!” Junmyeon screeches, he slaps his hands against his cheeks and squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment as Jongdae guffaws from beside him. His cheeks are warm and incredibly red which makes the blonde coo as he reaches over to pat Junmyeon’s face. 

“You’re so red~” The male sings, and Junmyeon pushes his palms into his cheeks even further, causing his lips to pout outwards and a whine sounds from the back of his throat. He wanted nothing more but to dig a hole and hide in it for the rest of his life right now as Kyungsoo tells Jongdae of Junmyeon’s constant recounts of when they had met.

“He’s always talking about you, you guys are basically already together.” Kyungsoo muses from the kitchen as he slices the oranges.

Jongdae laughs as he stares lovingly as Junmyeon, “I’m pretty sure Doyeon is sick of me constantly talking about you too.” He chuckles.

“Too bad for her though because I’m not stopping anytime soon. Prince Junmyeon deserves the best of the best, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> The fic may have seem a little rushed and I am so sorry, especially to the prompter :< The prompt was very fun to write though and though the fic may not be what you were expecting, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!  
> To the Exogeddon mods, thank you all so so so much for being so patient with me. You guys were such angels and I enjoyed this fest so much. This is my first time writing Suchen! And you guys always managed to lessen my stress in the duration of this fest. I look forward to possibly working with yall again in the future!
> 
> also: the reason why Jongdae is stuck at 600 points isn't directly written but it is implied and I hope I made it obvious enough OTL


End file.
